Shifting Diegetic Boundaries

Cinematic Virtual Reality (CVR) lets viewers choose their gaze direction within cinematic content encircling them in 360 degrees and can in some cases also enable user-influence on both events and existents within the represented environment. This particularly applies to animated CVR where computer-generated content can respond to user actions. This chapter explores how the boundaries between the diegetic and extra-diegetic dissolve when the user becomes an existent, influencing both narration and audio-visual representation. The analysis is based on qualitative close readings of two works, Agence (Gagliano, Pietro. 2020. Agence. Directed by Pietro Gagliano. Produced by Pietro Gagliano and David Oppenheim. https://www.agence.ai/ .; Gagliano, Pietro, interview by The Foreign Film Academy. 2020. Agence: AI and Dynamic Filmmaker (feat. Pietro Gagliano);) and Bonfire (Darnell, Eric. 2019. Bonfire. Directed by Eric Darnell. Produced by Baobab Studios.). The titles will be assessed considering previous studies of CVR, and other interactive narrative media, investigating how planning and conceptualising can be carried out for these kinds of experiences. The aim of this chapter is to suggest ways of authoring a diegesis in interactive CVR, considering that the experience will be affected differently by the interaction of the user. One proposal is to plan forking-path plots through flowcharts, similar to those used in video game development. The second is to conceptualise spatial relations within the diegesis graphically, akin to architectural floor plan drawings. These means are proposed as methods to support screenwriting for VR.